Monster
by glockcourage
Summary: Summary: AU. Because monsters can't fall in love...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Temari and Shikamaru.

—o0o—

**Monster**

Temari is a monster and she is cursed. If she falls in love and the object of her affection doesn't return her feelings, the object will become a monster himself.

For all her monstrous appearance, Temari has a heart…Knowing the consequence, she holds herself aloft, not desiring to love anyone. For her affection will never be returned.

But one day a human deems to sleep unwelcome in the patch of woods which is her territory.

Growling, showing off her stained, cracked fangs towards the trespasser, Temari is amazed that he neither scurries away nor beg for his life. Instead, the trespasser merely raises a thin brow upon seeing her appearance.

_Her appearance?_ Temari with her unkempt dirty blonde hair, unbounded and making a halo around the back of her head. Her face is covered with blotches of red crusted wounds, with her sharp greenish-blue eyes rendering her face more terrifying. Aware of this, Temari pulls back her chapped lips once again baring her brown-stained canines to intimidate the trespasser as she raises her hands, their sharp talons at a ready to claw him.

But the unwanted visitor merely ignores her. Her loud, guttural growl has spooked the birds, making then fly off the nearby trees but it does nothing to scare him away.

Shikamaru sees the hag and her awesome fangs but he's too lazy to be afraid of anything. The clearing in this part of the woods is the best so far that he has encountered. "Tch, you can rest here too if you want. This place is big enough."

Temari is taken aback by the offer. "You're stupid," she can't help but remark.

The trespasser, a normal looking human just shrugs his shoulders and leans back. Crossing both arms behind his head as he closes his eyes.

Temari, angered and astonished, opens her mouth wide and with a gush of exhaled air, she screams. The wind around the clearing picks up. The dried leaves, sticks, and pebbles all fly off the ground and around and around it goes with the air to be dump on the sleeping form.

But Shikamaru doesn't stir. The air has cooled his heated skin; the earthy smell released is a welcome scent, reminding him of his home—and home means his comfortable bed.

Temari, about to raise a hand with fingers splayed wide, sharp talons out and deadly, suddenly stops.

The trespasser is now snoring softly. It isn't conversation he's making but the noise coming from his lips makes Temari feels like she has company.

She never had company before.

Allowing him to take a nap, she watches him. Noticing how his dark eyelashes fall on his cheeks, curling up softly and hiding her hideous image from him. His lips are better than hers, not dry and well hydrated. The same red bows are neither smiling nor pouting. Then his hair, he has such beautiful hair. The dark strands collected into one ponytail, springing up like a painter's brush as if they have a life of their own.

Temari touches her own dull hair and tries to comb with her fingers the tangles off them when finally she realizes the train of her thoughts, making her hiss. And with her sharp intake of air, she has awakened the sleeping man beside her.

Shikamaru opens his eyes, meeting the angry eyes of the hag. "So you're still here," he states offhandedly.

Temari's scowl deepens and her brows knit into an irritated frown.

"Don't do that to your face. You are frightening enough without adding that expression to your face."

"You're calling me ugly?" Temari rasps.

Shikamaru rolls his shoulders, not caring if he has insulted the hag but he is nothing but honest. "_No._ Frightening is different from ugly. And you must be really beautiful before the curse did that to you."

Temari lifts astounded eyes at the trespasser. Her heart has suddenly skipped a beat before settling to its normal steady rhythm.

—o0o—

~6 20, 22 12 AF~

~U 7 8 12~

A/N: I seriously need to stop adding more to my plate…but this is the only fic I like to do at the moment.

This one will have a companion fic—hopefully—for Bleach. I'm planning on doing an Orihime-Ulquirra version. I'm actually excited about it. Orihime and Temari are so opposite, I want to see them act the same role.

Oh well, review.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: yup this one was basically inspired by Bigbang's _Monster_…and yeah I saw them perform live here last month.

**Chapter 2**

"What are you doing?" asks Temari, indignantly. Hours after the trespasser had suddenly stumbled into her part of the woods and napped unwelcome, he is again doing as he pleases, going about the place looking for something. And now he seems to have found what he's looking for.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Shikamaru answers, unruffled.

"You can't kill that ferret!" Temari proclaims; spotting the tiny furry animal as it sleeps. It's concealed except for its white fur that's peeking out underneath the nearby bushes.

"_Shh._ You're gonna scare it away," Shikamaru whispers. The double edge knife with an ornate handle which he's holding is still raised and directed, ready to strike his target.

"Again your innuendo that I'm ugly falls on deaf ears." Temari swivels around to glower at the man whose attention is still tuned to the little animal.

"_When did I—" _Shikamaru frowns, turning his head for a moment towards the woman whose face is littered with scabbing sore wounds and is looking at him with deadly blue-green eyes before immediately returning his attention to the sleeping ferret. He mutters under his breath, "I meant you're being too loud that you might spook off our dinner."

"I'm not eating that animal!" growls Temari, her brown stained fangs still sharp but becoming less visible in the dimming light.

"_Why not?_ Do you see another creature that we could eat here?"

"Stop joining me and you!"

"_What?" _ Shikamaru questions, sounding awfully puzzled.

"Quit saying we, there's no _we_," Temari snaps. "Go back to wherever you came from."

"I can't," Shikamaru admits as he watches with regretful eyes their—or rather _his _—dinner scampering away, having been disturbed awake.

"Just go back. This place—"

"You don't own this place."

Temari growls, baring once again her less awesome fangs, warning the man that he is near in incurring her destructible wrath; however, the man merely shrugs off his shoulders, undaunted.

"Maybe you're here to hide from the people from your village but I, I have an important reason for being here," Shikamaru drawls as he sheaths back his knife and returns it to the pouch tied around his right leg. A circle with a wave-like pattern in the centre is engraved on the knife's handle; it's his clan symbol and gives the knife its distinguishing mark.

Temari rasps, "This place is dangerous."

"Tch, if you meant _you—you're_ dangerous. Don't worry I know that already."

Temari looks fumingly at the man. She gets the feeling that he's mocking her. She clenches her right hand, ignoring the pinch of her sharp talons on her palms and then with a burst of annoyance, her fist hits the side of the man's jaw, creating a loud smashing sound that reverberates throughout their side of the forest.

Using his palm to cup the side of his face that was injured, Shikamaru glances irritated at the woman in front of him. "Why'd you do that for? _Tch_ you're really troublesome."

Temari smirks. "Why did it hurt?"

"Yeah, my face isn't used to such treatment."

"Are you implying that my face is?" Temari questions acidly, renewed venom dripping from her voice.

"Would you stop thinking about your appearance for a second? We are talking 'bout my face— _Damn,_ I could taste my own blood." Shikamaru moves his lower jaw around, feeling where the pain is located before spitting on the forest floor, ridding himself of the iron-like aftertaste inside his mouth. "You hit like a man."

"I'll do more to you if you don't leave."

"I already said I'm here for a reason."

"Whatever reason it is it's not important enough to lose your life."

"Tch, it is," Shikamaru divulges, staring far away towards the east, the direction of the land called Konoha, the place where he came from. "My father is sick and unless I find that special ingredient that the medic required he'll be dead in a couple of days."

"I already told you this forest is dangerous. It's enchanted and—"

"I'm not leaving without that ingredient."

"_Damn it, I don't want you here!_" outbursts Temari.

"Then help me find it. As soon as I have it, I'll leave."

"_I won't help you!"_ Temari shouts, stomping her foot in agitation.

"Then I won't leave," Shikamaru declares, preparing to lie down on the forest floor. _'Dinner will just be breakfast tomorrow,' _Shikamaru thinks to himself as he closes his eyes. Animals with the four leg variety seem to be scarce or maybe he's just not good in tracking them. Tomorrow he'll find out. Crossing his arms behind his head and using them as his pillow, he finally finds the most comfortable position the hard earth could offer for him to sleep.

Gnashing her teeth, Temari scowls as she watches the slumbering form. Finally, biting the words out, she enquires snappily, "What's the ingredient?"

"The horn from a white tailed deer," Shikamaru replies, not bothering to open his eyes.

"Then by tomorrow morning you're good as gone from here," Temari retorts, like a promise to the trespasser, before pivoting around and huffing off to plunk down on the grassy ground nearby.

Turning on her side while lying down, Temari watches discreetly the trespasser. Illuminated only by the moonlight, she can see his chest rising and falling evenly with every breath that he takes.

Then extending one of her arms in front of her, she can also see her skin tattered with sores, the pink weeping flesh therein, just like the ones in her face, they're disgusting. Her fingers are not any better. Gnarled and with short curving talons, her fingers belong to that of a horrendous being and so is her face.

But it's not just her face but her whole body in fact that is repulsive.

Returning her hand to her side, she can't help but raise angry eyes toward the trespasser. "You better be gone tomorrow… because I don't want you to see me," Temari grumbles softly to herself.

TBC

~11 2,7 12AF GC~

A/N: _…'I love you. Baby, I'm not a monster'_…yeah kinda that chorus keeps playing in my head…and then I laugh at the irony…


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Temari watches her handiwork. Three magnificent, huge White-Tailed deer are currently hornless but not bleeding. She has made sure she cuts the branch-like protrusions near the stumps and not on their heads, saving the animals.

"_Now, shoo!"_ Temari hollers at the group of hornless deer. "There's a _monster_ waiting to cut your head off to get your horns! Just be glad I got to you first."

Two deer gallop away except for one who nods his head before swerving off, seeming to acknowledge Temari's words.

"_Go! Shoo!" _orders Temari, bidding the magnificent beasts, farewell.

—o0o—

Temari grins, raising the sack of three sets of horns she's holding. The trespasser will be gone before midday which is the main reason why she gets up extra early today.

Suddenly dropping the sack containing the horns on the sleeping man's belly, Temari rubs her hands together in satisfaction.

"_Wha—at?"_ Shikamaru jerks awake, crouching to a sitting stance his ornate knife at a ready to attack. "Oh it's you—_What's this?_" Shikamaru picks the dirty sack that rolled to the ground, its shape distorted by the protruding horns.

"That, are the horns you asked me to get. Now, you can—"

"When did I ask you to get them for me?"

Temari frowns, growling, _"Ungrateful aren't we!"_ Trying to adopt a less nasty tone, Temari continues, "It doesn't matter. No thank you is needed. Just take that sack and leave."

"I can't."

"_What do you mean you can't?! _There are three pairs of White Tail horns in there. You can check them if you want. That should be sufficient to make lots and lots of your father's medicine."

Shikamaru kneads his temple, sitting cross-legged on the ground and looking up at Temari, he utters, "I asked for your help to track them. I'm not as knowledgeable as you are regarding the outlay of the forest but I am supposed to be the one to capture and remove their horns with this." Shikamaru raises his knife with the ornate handle, the sun glinting on the blade of the family heirloom.

Temari snorts. "I saved you from the hassle. Now thank me by just going."

"There's a reason why I'm not beside my father's bed right now. There's a reason why it has to be me to come here and not just pay for someone's services. The healer instructed that a pair of horns need to be cut by the closest one to the sick man's heart with a knife that once belonged to him."

"Why didn't you tell me that sooner?"

"I didn't know you'd be this eager to help me."

Temari scowls, "It would be more difficult to find a White Tailed deer now."

"_What do you mean?"_

"I warned them against your coming."

"Why did you do that?"

"_Why shouldn't I do that?" _Temari rasps. "This forest is home to hundreds of animals. This is their refuge. Your coming here they have a right to know of it."

"_Tch,_ what are you? _A foe or a friend?"_ Shikamaru asks sharply before slowly shrugging his shoulders, seeming to make up his mind that there's no point arguing over something that's already done with. "Right now, I don't care. I still need you to find those deer especially now that they went into hiding."

Caught off guard by his question, Temari belatedly snarls, _"I'm not your friend!" _

"The more I look at you, the more I agree."

Temari hisses, "The jibe regarding my appearance—"

Shikamaru interrupts, "Your insistence regarding your appearance is getting old. That jibe isn't about your appearance as much as the lack of human warmth on your face. You should smile more."

"I don't do smile," Temari snaps, scrunching up her nose in distaste, wrinkling her face even more and making her scabbing wounds on her cheeks more pronounced.

"I can see that," Shikamaru retorts. "When you're done cooking us breakfast, we can set out to find that deer."

"If you want to eat, cook your own."

"You'll cook woman. You owe me for scaring the deer."

Temari glowers, her piercing eyes speak of disbelief in the gall of the man before her. Opening her mouth wide, she yells, _"I WILL NOT COOK YOUR BREAKFAST!"_ as a strong wind gushes out, sending the dry leaves and pebbles flying off the ground, spooking some birds and small four-legged animals from the place.

"You're really scary when you do that," Shikamaru mentions, albeit unflappably. "It's safer for you to cook actually. I don't want to start a forest fire."

Temari's glower intensifies. _"Cook what?"_

—o0o—

In the end, Temari catches two birds by hurling rocks at the sky and hitting them. The intruder may look capable but he's totally useless, hitting wide on the mark.

Temari smirks. The look of concentration on his face after she strikes the first bird is something. Obviously his male pride is crushed especially when immediately after, she knockouts the second one.

"We just need two birds," Temari announces smugly when she observes her companion picking and weighing his next projectile, a medium size stone, as he eyes the flock of white birds passing through the sky.

Shikamaru mutters something under his breath as he throws the stone back on the ground. "Next time," he grumbles.

"There's no next time."

Shikamaru shrugs, kicking a pebble off the green patched earth before sagging towards it, not bothering to offer to clean the birds.

Temari harrumphs, pointedly glaring at the reclining man. _"Such a_ _lazy ass," _she rumbles loudly, annoyed.

_Hmp._ She doesn't need his help. In fact, she will do things faster without any interference from him.

In the end, she does the cooking, grumpily muttering, _"Forest fire, my butt!" _Banging the blackened kettle on the make- shift tripod stone as the fire underneath flares up as more wood are feed to it. The two featherless birds roasting on a stick are now pushed beside the kettle filled with water from a nearby spring.

Shikamaru merely stays down, ignoring or tuning her out, as he simply watches the sky dotted with so many cottony clouds. "I can stay like this forever," he sighs, "It's so tranquil. It's easy to forget all your troubles."

Temari snorts, "Not if one's plight involves awful itching and non-stop stinging."

Shikamaru turns his head towards the woman. In the light of day, her hair simply looks like it badly needs shampoo and some combing, her skin some powerful ointment and her claws merely clip. Her canines are not as stained or even as sharp as before but her lips still appear dry and chapped.

Despite all those things, he can imagine it, how she must look like before she became a person of itching and pain.

"What happened to you anyway?" Shikamaru asks, swivelling back his attention towards the clouds. "I told you my family woes. What's your story?"

Temari turns each stick, exposing the underside of the small birds to the fire.

Shikamaru heaves a sigh. He already won against her today. There's no use pushing his luck.

TBC

~12 30 12 1 18 13AF P 1 26 13~

A/N: I'm happy I was able to write again for _Monster. _Hope you guys review this one too.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Yikes too slow updates… this thing reminds me too much of its lost twin. The Ulqui-Orihime version had about two rough chapters when my laptop was stolen. ~Sighs~ unlike this one, I wasn't able to write that plot down immediately and now I just wonder what it was. It probably sucks but you know things, they become more valuable once gone. Since that's off my chest, I'll try writing faster for this one…hopefully :P

And yep updating is my way of thanking you guys for your reviews, alerts and faves too :D

—o0o—

**Chapter 4**

"Wake up," Shikamaru utters as he squats beside Temari's sleeping form. The mountain behind him is still just illuminated by the moonlight that finds its way through the tree branches.

Temari opens her blue-green eyes straight into Shikamaru's dark ones; she can't help but stare into the kindness eyes she ever saw. The brown in them reminds her of the deer's eyes—it is both peaceful but the inner strength just shines through. Fighting the sleep-induced wistfulness, Temari scrambles to get up, banging her head on Shikamaru's chin.

"_Aw,"_ Shikamaru complains, looking sharply up at the upright Temari as he holds his injured lower jaw, still sitting with his knees bent.

"_Your fault!"_ Temari rasps heatedly, hastily dusting off her shabby purple dress while smoothing the bunched material that twisted around her waist during sleep. Fixing her hair is out of the question, the blonde strands are probably standing up, bedraggled and fizzy.

"Good morning to you too," Shikamaru drawls, sardonically.

"_Hmp."_ Temari finally looks around, registering that it is still dark. "It's not yet morning."

Shikamaru stands up, following Temari's example. "It is."

That time the trespasser arrived; he just lay down on the ground and took a nap. But now he can't wait for the morning to actually come. He should still be slumbering. "Can't sleep?" Temari enquires.

"I already got plenty of rest."

Shikamaru's self-deprecating tone prompts Temari to look closely at him. It isn't that obvious but the gleam in his eyes can't hide the fact that he seems to be angry with himself. Judging by the night sounds, there are about three more hours before the sun's first ray will make an appearance in their part of the woods and yet he acts like he has woken up late.

Temari's face wreathes into a scorn. "_Yes, you did_. All you did yesterday and partly the day before that was sleep, eat, sleep and eat. For someone on an important mission, you are pretty laidback."

"_Tch,_ let's just go."

"What about food?"

"I also got plenty of that."

Of course, the trespasser is referring to yesterday's meals and not the ones for this day which makes Temari snap, "Well, I didn't. And I'm not leaving without having breakfast first."

"We'll have breakfast later."

"What time that _later_ will be?"

"Once we find what we're looking for, we can have something to eat then."

"Again, quit with the _'we'_ will you. And second, I have no idea if I can track a deer today. I already told you, I told them to go scram."

"Tch, then _we_ won't eat today."

Temari snorts. No wonder the lazy ass was dead on his feet only able to do two things the past day and half, he had exhausted himself. Also that explains his angry tone and the look in his eyes a while back. He can't even take a rest without feeling guilt-ridden.

So this must mean all the time he had been looking for the White-tailed deer, he must have little to no sleep and probably poor nutrition. _That's stupid!_ He's not going to help his father that way.

"We'll eat first," Temari scowls her ultimatum.

"You used '_we'_."

Temari growls, _"Shut up!"_

"Charming," Shikamaru mumbles.

Temari has no illusions. He's just trying to rile her up with his choice of adjective since his lips quirk ever so slightly up upon seeing her almost foam in the mouth in indignation. _Damn it_, why does he look— charming himself when he's on the threshold of breaking into an actual smile.

The last thought comes unbidden.

"Why don't you get some fruits and berries while I fill the canteens with water?" Temari orders briskly.

"Why don't I get the water and you, the berries?"

Temari just gives the man another sharp look.

Shikamaru murmurs, complainingly, "_Tch,_ you're the one who wants to eat."

"You're the one that needs to eat. Now, _go! Scat!"_

Shikamaru is about to open his mouth to deny Temari's claim but instead he expels his breathe loudly in disgruntlement before compliantly turning his back on his way to searching for something to fill their stomach with.

Temari watching his slouched back, the line that his shoulders make looking almost defeated, she then can't help but declare firmly, "We'll find one, Shikamaru. I promise."

The young man swivels around. An actual but small smile gracing his lips and reaching his eyes transforms his face as he utters, "Thanks."

Temari changes her mind. He doesn't look simply charming. He looks pretty darn dazzling with his lips curving up and his eyes extra warm. _Damn it_ she can feel the crazy ruckus that her heart is making just because of one genuine smile meant for her.

How can anyone smile at a monster is beyond her. But he just demonstrates it's possible.

Temari, almost against her will, returns Shikamaru's smile, the whiteness of her teeth gleaming in the darkness.

TBC

—o0o—

~ 4 18 13AF U 4 19 13~


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: After promising a faster update…ops I'm just updating now…hmn this and that, life and the news on TV have made writing take a back seat.

—o0o—

**Chapter 5**

"What are those?" Temari asks, disbelief lacing her voice and is plastered on her face as she stares at Shikamaru.

"Food."

"No." Temari scowls, _"Those are freaking crickets!"_

Shikamaru just shrugs his shoulders. "I saw a squirrel but judging by your reaction to my killing the ferret the other day, I thought the crickets are a better option to bring home to you."

_Oh and so now it is out of deference to her._ _Really? It's not because…_Temari snorts."So it has nothing to do with the fact that the squirrel is probably faster than you."

"_Tch."_

Seeing that she hits a masculine nerve, Temari's lips move into a smirk then asks, mockingly, "What happened to the berries?"

"There's not enough light for me to differentiate the poisonous from the safe ones," Shikamaru replies, pointedly ignoring the woman's smirk. He simply proffers his closed fists wordlessly trying to give the handful of live crickets to her.

Temari's hands remain at her side, not accepting the trespasser's offering. "You know even though I look like a hag doesn't mean I enjoy eating crickets."

Shikamaru grunts, openly exasperated, "So we're back to that." Straightaway, he opens both his fists and allows the insects to go free. "There. _Satisfied?_"

"Don't you mean hungry?" Temari retorts. "Have you seen any edible plants? _Mushroom perhaps?_ We can eat those."

"Same with the berries, troublesome woman."

Slowly, as the meaning of his words sink in, Temari's features mirror her vexation at the face of his calm admission of his own ineptness. Finally, taking a deep breath, she states commandingly, "Alright, come with me." As she utters the words, she simultaneously extends her hand towards Shikamaru but before he can decide whether to take it, she drops it to her side. "I'll show you how to survive here."

"_I—"_ Shikamaru halts about to deny that he also needs her help to survive only to realize she's right. "—_alright."_

—o0o—

Temari munches on the berries, popping the fleshy and squashy blue fruits straight from the shrubs into her mouth while Shikamaru reaches for the round clumps of edible food and puts them inside a metal container, saving them for later.

"You know, I can probably find something more filling for us to eat later," Temari says, as she watches her companion. There's still not much light but with the ones that reach them it's enough for her to see that the man seems to stock up his supplies of berries.

"_Tch,"_ is Shikamaru's noncommittal reply. Now is not the time to reiterate his plan on not stopping for food or to rest. By tomorrow, he should be home and his father on his road to recovery.

Temari, annoyed with the trespasser's non answer, reaches diagonally for a higher branch near the top of Shikamaru's head and gathers the clumps of fruits and then letting go of the branch it swings back up, hitting the young man's cheek. "Ops," she mutters, amusement lilting her voice at Shikamaru's incredulous look.

Shikamaru, taken by surprise, looks sharply at the woman then pointedly ignores her and her unexpected laughter but not before he has noticed how the mischievous mirth has brightened her blue-green eyes with the gleam of devilish humour and how her chapped lips have formed into a curved bow as oppose to the usual straight disapproving line. It somehow improves her face but saying so will just aggravate her. Instead, he returns to his task of collecting the fruits, casually reaching atop her head for a branch weighted down and covered by overripe berries.

Temari, finding that annoying him is entertaining, cackles loudly, blatantly and deliberately imitating that of a horrid witch.

Not amused by the absurd sound Temari is making, Shikamaru pulls at the branch with more strength than necessary to the point that it bends with his force, and then suddenly in a show of pique, he releases the branch. The twig, leaves and all, then plops on Temari's face with the overly-ripe berries being squashed on her cheeks, her forehead and even her nose; subsequently the fruits' soft pulp and juices squelch and drip leaving an icky trail on her face.

Shikamaru utters, "Sorry." However, his word is belied by the grin pulling up his lips. Her expression is simply priceless, mouth gaping, eyes open in shock and face appears silly with all that glop. Obviously, she's not expecting retribution from him—_or_ _maybe from anyone._ And anyway, how can he be truly sorry when he knows that the berries are just too soft to cause her real pain.

"_Why you!"_ Temari gasps_— more surprised than seriously hurt_—while indignantly wiping the bluish-purple goo from her face with the back of her hand, unknowingly, spreading the goo rather than removing it. Then with the angry glint in her eyes still emphatically directed at Shikamaru while her hands blindly reach for the berries, Temari makes a predatory move towards him.

"You are aware, of course, that I'm not dependent on those shrubs. I have ammunition." Shikamaru raises his container, grabbing a handful of berries threateningly while looking ready to run if he must.

"_You wouldn't!"_

Shikamaru simply shrugs; hand still on the container, prepared to hurl some berries if needed.

"_Hmp. _I'm not that childish," snaps Temari, grumpily throwing the just-picked berries on the ground before forcefully wiping her hands on the skirt of her old purple dress then walking away. "Let's go," she orders.

Temari has taken several steps before she becomes aware that Shikamaru has not followed her, swivelling around, her temper already on a short leash, she snarls, "Move it. We have a long way to go."

Shikamaru finally approaches Temari, seeming to stare into her face while trying to decide something.

Uncomfortable with the way he's watching her, she scowls, _"What?"_

Shikamaru takes a folded handkerchief from his coat's pocket then quickly unfolds it as he looks for a clean corner. Finding it, he moistens it with the water from his canteen then without any warning he uses it to dab at Temari's face, trying to remove the purplish hue smeared on it. "We don't want to scare the deer more than you have already," he mutters, deadpan.

"_Arse!"_ Temari turns her face away but Shikamaru only grabs her chin with his other hand, stabilizing her head while continuing to wipe off the already drying muck on her face.

Miffed, she spats, "I can do it myself," making a move to snatch the handkerchief from his hand.

Being taller, Shikamaru simply raises the handkerchief away from her reach. "You will just miss some spots."

Temari puts her hands on her hips as she snaps, "_Hmp _it's not as if you can see better with this light."

"I see enough."

Temari glances sharply at Shikamaru. He doesn't appear to mean anything with his words but then only someone stupid will miss his implication. It's because he can't see well that he's willing to touch her face.

Temari slaps away his hold on her chin, only Shikamaru is fast, grabbing her lower jaw again as soon as his grip on it is dislodge, securing it even tighter.

"That hurts," hisses Temari as the pressure on her jaw increases.

Shikamaru snorts, rubbing on one particular spot on Temari's cheek, careful not to press on an adjacent scabbing wound. "This will take longer if you continue to struggle. Just allow me."

Temari grunts. Shaking him off seems to make him more set on doing his loathsome chore. Anyway, it's his fault that her face is covered with the sticky stuff so if he wants to apologise this way and be back in her good graces, she should let him.

But even so, Temari can't accept his ministrations that easily. Growling some unintelligible words under her breath, she crosses her arms on her chest, grumpily permitting Shikamaru to remove the purple slurry off her face. Mumbling harshly that she doesn't know why he bothers. Her face is already covered with disgusting crusted sores all over; a purple dash of colour should at least add some ridiculousness to its gruesomeness.

But instead of revulsion, she feels the calm and steady way Shikamaru is scrubbing her face with the soft, wet handkerchief careful to avoid scratching her lesions. Nonetheless, his actions still makes her uncomfortable, Temari then snarls, "Stop already. Those sores are contagious."

Shikamaru doesn't bother to answer. And it takes a short while before finally he utters, "There. Done." Refolding the handkerchief, he tucks it back inside his pocket. "Now, we can go."

Temari gestures at Shikamaru's pocket. "It's better if you burn that thing."

"The sores are not contagious. Now, shall we go?" Shikamaru asks, patiently waiting for Temari to move.

Temari huffs, murmuring a litany of swear words under her breath, as she trudges ahead of Shikamaru.

Facing the woman's back as he follows her on the moon lighted forest trail Shikamaru drawls, "You have your own laugh. You should use it more."

Biting her lower lip to stop herself from chewing his head off for mocking her, Temari feels the pinch of her canines on her caught lip which unnoticeably is not as painful as before.

With no rejoinder coming from her, the trespasser then sighs loudly before continuing to follow her quietly.

Still seething inwardly, Temari admits she's bothered by him. With the thought, she clenches her hands into fists at her sides, not feeling the prick of nails on her palms as she concentrates on putting her foot one after the other.

The sooner she finds those deer for him the safer she'll be. In the meantime, it's going to be a long, long day.

TBC

~4 19 13, 6 5 13A 13~


End file.
